GS503 – Getting Started with the Globalization Studio Workspace

If you’ve followed GS501 – Why Globalization Studio Matters and GS502 – From RCS to Globalization Studio, you now understand the “why” and “what.” This article is where we get practical.

GS503 is your hands-on guide to entering the Globalization Studio workspace for the first time. Whether you’re configuring e-invoicing for Italy or customizing invoices for the UK, everything starts here.

By the end of this article, you’ll know:

• How to open the workspace
• What each section does
• How to connect to the repository
• How to import, create, or test a compliance feature

🚪 Step 1 – Open the Globalization Studio Workspace

Globalization Studio is available in Dynamics 365 Finance & Supply Chain version 10.0.39 or later.

🔓 To open it:

1. Go to Workspaces > Globalization Studio

2. If it’s not visible, go to Feature Management
3. Enable these features:

• ✅ Globalization Studio

• ✅ Dataverse repository

• ✅ Feature lifecycle management (Automatically enable as a part of Globalization studio feature

You’ll now see the workspace in your list.

🔐 Tip: You’ll need roles like System Administrator, Electronic Reporting Developer, or Feature Lifecycle Manager to access everything.

🧭 Step 2 – Understand the Workspace Tiles

Once you enter the Globalization Studio workspace, you’ll see it organized into two key areas:

🔶 Globalization Services

These tiles represent the major functional modules you can configure and manage:

These services represent the core configuration tools of Globalization Studio, enabling no-code and low-code setup for global compliance.

🔷 Configuration Providers

Below the services, you’ll find your Configuration Providers. These represent where your features and configurations are coming from:

🔧 You’ll use the Repositories section within each provider to import, export, or manage your ER configurations and features.

🔗 Related Links (Bottom of Page)

At the bottom of the workspace, you’ll find helpful shortcuts such as:

• Electronic reporting parameters
• Legal entity filter for formats
• Business document type tags
• Localization blueprint and industry tags

See purpose of these links in picture above.

🌐 Step 3 – Connect to a Repository

This is how you bring in Microsoft-delivered formats or your own custom configurations.

Option A: Microsoft Global Repository

• Read-only
• Use it to import country-specific features (e.g., Italy FatturaPA, UK VAT)
• Navigate to Repository Settings > Microsoft Global Repository
• Select and import features to your environment

Option B: Dataverse Repository

• Fully writable and versioned
• Ideal for managing your own configurations or modified versions
• Ensure your dynamics environment is connected to Dataverse.

• Ensure ‘Globalization Solution for Microsoft Dynamics 365 Finance’ app installed and updated

• Confirm Solutions are visible

• Go to Repository Settings (Your custom provider’s repository) > Dataverse

• Choose or create a solution

• Once repository is created, you will see configurations provided by Microsoft

✅ Using Dataverse also enables ALM (Application Lifecycle Management) with Power Platform, covered in GS508.

✨ Step 4 – Import or Create a Feature

Features are bundles of logic, formats, and rules that power your compliance scenarios.

To import (Electronic Reporting):

• Go to Microsoft Global Repository
• Search or filter by country/feature type
• Select and click Import

To import (Electronic Invoicing):

• Go to Globalization Studio > Click on Electronic Invoicing Tile
• Import > find feature
• Select and click Import

To create (Electronic Reporting Configuration):

• Click New in Electronic Reporting Tile

To create (Electronic Invoicing):

• Click New in Electronic Invoicing Tile

👉 Feature design and lifecycle is explained in GS504 – Feature Lifecycle and Applicability Rules

🧪 Step 5 – Test Your Feature Before Go-Live

Testing is built into the workspace. To test:

1. Mark your feature status as Complete
2. Deploy it to your current environment
3. Use test documents (e.g., post an invoice or purchase order)
4. Open Submission Logs to check:
   • XML or PDF generation
   • Digital signature status
   • Web service submission
   • Error messages or response from tax authority

📄 Real-Life Example: UK Invoice Layout

Let’s say your finance team in the UK wants to add a new header and QR code to the customer invoice:

1. Open Business Document Management
2. Select the Customer Invoice (Invoice) template

3. Make edits in Word directly, no developer needed

4. Publish the new version

5. The document now prints with your new layout every time

That’s the power of combining BDM with ER inside Globalization Studio.

✅ Quick Recap

You’re now ready to configure real-world tax, invoicing, and document requirements across countries, directly inside D365.

📘 Coming Up Next

In GS504 – Feature Lifecycle and Applicability Rules, we’ll explore:

• How to control when and where a feature runs
• The Draft → Complete → Deployed flow
• Managing different logic for different countries or customers

📖 [Continue reading: GS504 – Feature Lifecycle and Applicability Rules →]